TRAS SPECIAL ISSUE 2025 – CALL FOR PAPERS
Topic for 2025 special issue: „Governing Smart Cities in the Digital Age: Comparative Global Policy Perspectives”
Over half the world’s population now lives in cities, and many urban centers are adopting “smart city” approaches to tackle challenges in sustainability, mobility, and public service delivery. Smart cities use digital technologies and data to enhance governance, citizen well-being, and quality of life. From mega-cities to smaller municipalities, investments in ICT infrastructure, data analytics, and innovation ecosystems are transforming how cities operate.
The smart city concept spans multiple sectors—transport, energy, health, governance—and relies on collaboration between governments, businesses, and citizens. International bodies like the EU and the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance are promoting standards for ethical and inclusive smart governance. At the core of smart cities is smart governance: how digital tools are reshaping decision-making, service delivery, and stakeholder engagement. Technologies like AI, IoT, and big data are driving more efficient, evidence-based, and participatory urban governance. E-government platforms, open data, and mobile apps are enabling citizens to co-create solutions and interact with authorities more transparently. Yet these innovations raise challenges around privacy, cybersecurity, algorithmic accountability, and digital equity. Cities must carefully balance innovation with regulation and address the risk of deepening digital divides. Governance models must be inclusive and context-sensitive, especially in developing countries facing infrastructure and resource constraints.
This special issue invites comparative studies and evidence-based research on how smart cities are governed around the world. We seek contributions that explore what works in different contexts, how political and institutional factors shape technology adoption, and what policy frameworks support inclusive, sustainable urban transformation.
Submission invitation
We welcome empirical and policy-oriented papers, including case studies, comparative evaluations, and critical policy reviews. All suggested themes (see below) should be addressed with a strong empirical foundation or practical policy analysis. Contributors are encouraged to use evidence (quantitative data, case evidence, comparative metrics, etc.) to support their insights. The overall goal of this special issue is to assemble a diverse set of studies that together illuminate how technology and governance intersect in the pursuit of smarter cities, and what public administrators and policymakers can learn from these experiences across the globe.
Please also keep in mind that TRAS is a public administration journal. Authors should avoid overly technical contributions and should focus on the link between technology and public policy/public administration.
Deadline: 15 September 2025
All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Authors will be announced about the result of the peer review process around mid-November 2025.
Potential subtopics and themes
All these topics listed below represent mere suggestions. Authors are welcome to explore additional topics which fall under the general theme of the special issue.
- Comparative Smart City Governance: Cross-country or cross-city studies comparing governance models, policy frameworks, or institutional arrangements for smart cities in different regions (e.g. OECD countries, CEE region, emerging economies, etc.).
- Digital Transformation of Public Services: Empirical analyses of how smart city technologies (such as open data platforms, AI-based tools, IoT sensors) are improving or challenging the delivery of public services and infrastructure management.
- Citizen Engagement and Participatory Governance: Case studies on e-governance initiatives, digital platforms for citizen participation, co-creation of smart solutions with communities, and the impact of these on trust and accountability in local government.
- Policy Frameworks and Ethical Governance: Evaluations of policy guidelines, standards, or frameworks (local, national, or international) that guide smart city development – including issues of data governance, privacy protection, cybersecurity, and AI ethics in urban contexts.
- Smart City Outcomes and Equity: Research on the outcomes of smart city projects in terms of sustainability, inclusiveness, and quality of life. For example, studies examining whether smart city initiatives help bridge or widen urban inequalities (digital divides, access to services) and how governance can ensure equitable benefits.
- Innovation in Urban Governance: Analyses of new governance approaches emerging in smart cities, such as public-private partnerships, innovation labs, urban living labs, or inter-city networks for knowledge sharing. How do these contribute to capacity-building and better decision-making in city administrations?
- Smart Cities in Developing and Developed Contexts: Investigations into the specific challenges and opportunities of implementing smart city concepts in developing countries versus developed countries. This could include discussions of financing, capacity constraints, regulatory hurdles, and creative solutions tailored to different socio-economic settings.
All rules that apply for regular issues apply to this special issue as well – structure of articles, formatting, referencing etc. Please carefully consult the section on the websites labeled Instructions for authors.